Senator Ned Nwoko, alongside his wife, actress Regina Daniels, has initiated legal proceedings against social media influencer Timothy Gabriel for allegedly spreading defamatory and misleading statements.
The senator’s decision was announced in a statement issued by the Ned Nwoko Media Directorate and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday.
Nwoko stated that Gabriel had openly taunted him and Regina Daniels, daring them to respond legally to his allegations. According to the senator, they have now taken up the challenge.
“There is no democracy anywhere in the world where freedom of speech includes freedom to defame, blackmail, or incite hatred under the guise of online influence. The internet is not above the law. Those who think they can assassinate character and go unpunished are about to face the full weight of Nigeria’s legal system. My legal team also representing Regina-Daniels Nwoko is already taking every step necessary to prosecute Gabriel and his enablers through every legal means available,” he said.
The lawmaker stressed that no individual has the right to make unfounded and offensive accusations while evading accountability under the cover of social media or public protests.
Read Also: Davido Allegedly Attacked by Security at Ibiza Nightclub
“We have taken full notice of the vile, reckless, and malicious statements made by one Timothy Gabriel, alias Tuma, and the accompanying attempts to dress lawless behavior in the garb of activism or press freedom. Gabriel not only spewed defamatory lies against Regina Daniels, my wife and accomplished actress but also myself, and he did so repeatedly, with clear intent to provoke, incite, and destroy reputations. This includes both criminal defamation and civil suits, for which the evidence is overwhelming. His slanderous comments about paternity, morality, and fictitious personal ‘evidence’ are not only damaging, they are false, dangerous, and criminally prosecutable,” Nwoko stated.
He further cautioned that those supporting Gabriel under the banner of human rights advocacy should recognize that freedom of speech does not justify falsehoods and character attacks.
“Mr. Gabriel and any co-conspirators should prepare to face the law in the most decisive manner. The real trouble has only just begun and it will not be fought on social media, but in court, through the strength of evidence and the rule of law. Let the public be assured; defamation is not activism, and I will ensure that the lines are drawn clearly in the courtroom,” Nwoko emphasized.
Meanwhile, activist Omoyele Sowore has criticized Nwoko for referring to him as “jobless” after he defended Gabriel. Sowore vowed to secure the influencer’s release if arrested.
“Senator @Prince Ned Nwoko, You also allegedly claimed that I am jobless for advocating for Tumma’s rights. I want to remind you that, just as we secured Jaruma’s release and that of several other young people from your village you unlawfully detained at the FCID in Abuja in 2021 and beyond. Tumma will also be released. Injustice will not be tolerated. I am proud to be working to restore human dignity, a job that does not require embezzling local government funds, engaging in shady politics or stealing land from the poor. If I were jobless and hungry, I would have accepted your numerous invitations to meet at your Abuja home. Especially when @Sahara Reporters was exposing your foundation’s claims about eradicating malaria from Africa,” Sowore wrote.
“My only question to Eric Osagie, who extended the invitation (but later denied it) was whether you had eradicated mosquitoes around your own Abuja home. I declined the invitation, and a few weeks later, I was arrested with the help of then Abuja CP Babaji Sunday following their meeting at your mansion. We have been in court since 2022, and we have not even reached arraignment. A generation that must eradicate oppression must emerge to stop you and your types. #freetumanow #RevolutionNow – Omoyele Sowore.”
